1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-axes stage for aligning an optical component having a plurality of optical paths and an optical component to be connected.
2. Description of Related Art
When a multifiber connector having a plurality of optical fibers to work as an optical path or an optical waveguide component having a plurality of optical waveguides to work as an optical path is to be connected to another, or when those optical components are to be connected with a semiconductor laser diode array having a plurality of semiconductor laser diodes, an aligning apparatus is used to make the optical axis of the optical waveguide path formed in an optical waveguide component or the optical axis of the optical fiber provided in the multifiber connector, in alignment with the optical axis of an optical component to be connected.
FIG. 15 shows an embodiment of a aligning apparatus. In the drawing, multi-axes stage 15 and fixed table 31 are provided on an arrangement base 32. Optical component 13 to be coupled is placed and held on fixed table 31.
Multi-axes stage 15 has stage holding portion 30. X stage 24 finely movable in the X axis direction, Y stage 25 finely movable in the Y axis direction, and rotating stage 26 finely movable in the rotating direction are provided on stage holding portion 30. Rotating stage 26 has table 27 for mounting an optical component, for instance, optical fiber block 23. Block 23 is removably placed on table 27. The optical axes of optical fibers provided in optical fiber block 23 are directed into the Z direction of the drawing.
X stage 24 is movable by X axis motor 20 in the X axis direction perpendicular to optical axis Z of said optical fiber mounted in optical fiber block 23, as illustrated by arrow A in the drawing. Also, Y stage 25 is movable by Y axis motor 21 in the Y axis direction perpendicular to optical axis Z of optical fiber of block 23, as illustrated by arrow B in the drawing. Rotating stage 26 can be rotated by rotating motor 22 in the .theta. direction in the X-Y plane of the drawing, as illustrated by arrow C, that is, in other words, in the rotating direction about said optical fiber of optical fiber block 23.
As illustrated in the drawing, when the aligning apparatus is used, optical fiber block 23 and optical component 13 are roughly aligned to face to each other. Table 27 is moved to an appropriate position by finely moving X stage 24, Y stage 25 and rotating stage 26 of multi-axes stage 15 while optical component 13 is being placed. Said aligning apparatus aligns optical axes of optical component 13 to be connected and optical fiber block 23.
According to the aligning operation as mentioned above, it is necessary to align axes of optical component 13 and optical fibers of block 23 at the accuracy of less than 1 .mu.m, in order to make connecting loss as small as possible. Multi-axes stage 15 is designed to finely move at the accuracy of less than 1 .mu.m.
As another embodiment, arrangement table 32 may have one more multi-axes stage 15, instead of fixed table 31. In this embodiment, optical fiber block 23 is mounted on table 27 of one multi-axes stage 15, and optical component 13 to be connected is mounted on table 27 of the other multi-axes stage 15. Alignment is made by finely moving both optical fiber block 23 and optical component 13 to be connected.
However, in the aligning apparatus shown in FIG. 15, table 27, X stage 24, Y stage 25 and rotating stage 26 are fixed to stage fixing portion 30 in the form of a cantilever. Because of the structure, in the aligning apparatus, when stress is applied to table 27 on which optical fiber block 23 is placed, for example, even if the stress is about 100 g.f, table 27 is distorted at more than 1 .mu.m so that optical fiber block 23 cannot be placed at a desired position.
Accordingly, for instance, if table 27 is distorted when optical fiber block 23 is set, optical fiber block 23 is considerably deviated relative to optical component 13. Due to this, it may take a very long time to align those components. In addition, when optical fiber block 23 and optical component 13 are fixed to each other by an adhesive after the alignment operation is finished, block 23 and component 13 may be moved due to a shrinkage force, table 27 being moved from the alignment position, or the like, so that problems are caused such that the alignment accuracy may become worse.